Rail-joint lock.



S. N. BURNS.

RAIL JOINT LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. 1917.v

1,42,?6. Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

SAMUEL N. BURNS, 'OF. HARGROVEQ ALABAMA.

BAIL-30mm LooK.

Specification .of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 2, 1917." Serial No'. 152,077.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, S MUELN.

Hargrove, in'the county of Bibb'and State "of Alabama, have invented'new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joint Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention' relates to rail joints, and,

the objects of the same are to provide a comparatively simple device of the class; spec fied wherein the use of rail connecting bolts is avoided; toinsurea tight oint relatively to the abutting ends ot rails" and of such arrangement as to allow the rails 'to expandand'contract without dangerously affecting the joint and also to guard against lateral displacement of the rails, and toso associate the members or parts of the joint locking means asto render them readily applicable to rails and separable from-the latter, and, further, to prevent the depre's-- siOn of the mile at their abuttingends. with material advantages in avoidingwea-r on the rail-ends and also causing an easier rid- 1 j foot'22f'w1th a lower surface- 23"t0 bear on ing action of the rolling stockover the rail joints.

With'these and other objects andadvang tages in view the inventionconsists in the construction and arrangement of the sev eral parts which will be more fully hereinafter described. and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of portions I a 7' wedgebar 131s formed 111 duphcate'and' 1s kt I of rails' illustrated "in jointrelation and showing the improved means for lockingthe joint. I a I F 1g. 2 1s a transverse verticalv section through'the' rails and lo'ckingljoint means; taken in the plane intersecting'opposite fas tening' devices engaging parts of the joint means.

Figsz3 and 4 are detail perspective views of parts of the locking means.

The numerals 5 and 6 designate rails which are'abutted endwise to form a joint in the'usual manner, each rail being pro vided with a vertical web 7 and a base flange 8 of well knownfo'rm. The improved lock ing means comprises a 'chair 9'embodying"; H

dicular surfaces'ofthe sidefianges 11. In

a horizontal baselO and upstanding side base flanges 8of the railsto be readilyfin serted between the same. and rest'flrmly on the base plate 10 of the chair; Thebase 10 BnRNsf a citizen of the United States, residing at upwardly inclined flange 15 eXtending-froni antes;

Patented Oct. 9, i917.

of 'the chair is .entended' at each end and formed with openings or I slots 10 to receive sp1kes shown in dotted lines in Fig.1, to

hold thechair in applied position, said spikes. also engaging the rail flanges. The

lnner surfaces of'the flanges 11 are perpendicularly straight, as shown by Fig. 2, and.

the opposite side edges of the baseflanges 8 of the rails have a close'fitting relatively tothe lower portions of said inner surfaces of the "side flanges. Theremaining mem- V bers "or parts of the "locking means consist off two splice bars 12," two wecl'ge bars'13 and fasteningtdevices 1%. Each bar 12 has an an intermediateangular bend'16, the upper end of the flange 15 being laterally extended as at 17 and having an inwardly beveled'top surface 18 'to' closelyfitunder and positively L engage the under 'sideof the head or ball 19 1 of each 'rail 5 and 6. From the angular bend; 16"th splice'bar is formed with adepend ing foot orsupport flange or 'member'QO having an outerinclined face 21 and a lower the'rail flanges 8 close'to the outer side edges of the latter, as shownby 2. The side flanges llofthe chair 9 have horizontal 5 supporting flanges 21 0f the bars 12. The

of ethe same length as the side flanges 11 of the chair 9, eachwedgestrip having-anupwardlydnclined' slot 26 formed therethrough. adjacent to each endof thesamew These slots" '21 re for recelving fastening de vices in'a manner which will be here nafter explained.

In assembling theparts or members' 'of the improved locking means "the" abutting ends of the rails 5 and 6 are first seatedIin: the chair 10 and held in longitudinalaline ment and prevented from the least lateral shifting movement in view of the contiguity of the f'opposite fsideedges of; the a base flanges'8 of the rails to the inner perpen viewof'the fao'tthat the 'base flanges 8 of" therails' bear onthe base plate 'or-member:

10 of the chair, depression of the rail ends" seated in the chair-asjust*explained the" is obviatedi. After 'the'frails have been bars 12 are inserted between the under portions of the opposite sides of the head 19 and the base flange of each rail and extend equally across the joint, the two bars when properly applied being positioned as shown by Figs. 1 and 2. The wedge bars 13- are then inserted between the outer inclined surfaces ofthe flanges 22 of the bars and the perpendicular inner surfaces of the side flanges 11 of the chair, the wedge bars 'being firmly driven downwardly and having their inclined faces bearing against the outer inclined surfaces 21 of the flanges 22. As the wedge bars 13 are driven downwardly in place they force the bars inwardly toward each other and establish a positive and firm engagement of the upper and lower edges of the bars with the rail heads 19 and base flanges 8 of the rails. When the wedge bars 13 are driven downwardly they are secured by fastenings 27 inserted through the slots 24:, 26 and 25 respectively formed in the flanges 22 of the bars, the wedge bars 13, and the opposite ends of the chair, and by means of these fastenings, which may be of any preferred form, all the parts of the locking means are reliably held in coordinated relation and movement of the wedge bars away from a maximum wedging engagement with relation to the side flanges 11 of the chair 9 and the foot or supporting flanges 21 of the bars 12 is prevented, and the fastening devices 27 will be held against loose movement by a binding action set up between the walls of the slots which they engage and the said fastening devices at different points along the length of the latter. As above noted, any form of fastening device of a readily removable character may be used to connect the several parts of the locking means, but it has been found by experiment that the split key form of locking device as shown serves as a very convenient means for securing the several parts of the locking means against displacement, the said split keys having their ends 28 spread apart and upset against the inner side portions of the bars 12, as shown by Fig. 2, and thereby obstruct the disengagement of the keys or locking devices from their applied positions. The ends of the keys may be very easily reached at opposite ends of the chair and in view of the spaces 29 formed between the inner sides of the bars 12 and the webs 7 of the rails.

The parts of the locking means may be readily applied over the abutting ends of other and the rails by withdrawing the fastening devices 27 and removing the wedge bars 13. At any time desired'the bars .12

may be tightened should they work loose in view of wear thereon by driving the wedge bars downwardly a greater distance and resetting or reapplying the fastening devices 27. One of the main structural advantages of the improved locking means is that the bars and wedge bars are of duplicate construction and may be readily manufactured in large quantities at a materially reduced cost, and if it ever becomes necessary to replace either of said parts thepart requiring replacement may be readily supplied. The chair 9 is also of simple construction and may be readily manufactured in any approved manner.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a rail joint lock, the combination with abutting rail ends, of a chair in which the abutting extremities and base flanges of the rails are disposed, the chair having side flanges with inner perpendicular surfaces, angularly formed splice bars engaging the opposite side portions of the rail heads and the base flanges of the rails, wedge bars inserted between the outer sides of the lower portions of the splice bars and the side flanges of the chair and extending full length of said flanges, and fastening devices removably inserted through the side flanges of the chair, the wedge bars and the opposite ends of the splice bars.

2. In a rail joint lock, the combination with rails having abutting ends and base flanges, of a chair in which the base flanges of the rails are inserted, the chair being formed with opposite side flanges, splice bars inserted between the opposite sides of the rails over the joint and the side flanges of the chair, the splice bars being each of angular form and having an upper head to bear closely against the under side of the rail heads and a lower foot flange to bear on the base flanges of the rails adjacent to the side edges of the latter, continuous wedge strips or bars inserted between the side flanges of the chair and the foot flanges of the splice bars and operating to force the latter bars inwardly'in tight engagement with the rails, the side flanges of. the chair, the wedge bars and the splice bars having slots in their opposite extremities which are adapted to register, and split keys removably inserted in the slots of the chair flanges the Wedge bars and the splice bars.

3. In a rail joint lock, the combination With abutting rail ends, of a chair in which the abutting ends and base flanges of the rails are disposed the chair having side flanges extending upwardly therefrom, an-

gularly formed splice bars engaging the opposite side portions of the rail heads and the base flanges of the rails wedge bars inserted between the outer sides of the lower portions of the splice bars and the side flanges of the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner SAMUEL N. BURNS.

Witnesses:

G. F. TATE, GEORGE ARCHER.

oi Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

